Ph.D., University of Michigan (1983) M.S., Cornell University (1978) B.S., Southampton College of Long Island University (1974)

Research Interests

My research spans a variety of topics within marine biology, all relating to the behavioral and physiological ecology of marine vertebrate animals. As Director of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute’s Fisheries and Mariculture Laboratory, I am actively engaged in several aquaculture projects. These include (1) development of culture methods for southern flounder for commercial interests and to facilitate stock enhancement programs of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; (2) development of more efficient and environmentally sustainable protocols and feeds for managing broodstock fish; and (3) development of culture methods for pigfish, with the long-term goal of developing a commercial baitfish industry. Several other projects are at the interface of basic fish biology, physiology, and fish ecology. These include (4) dynamics of transfer of fatty acids from adult diet to eggs; (5) relationship between egg composition and larval survivorship in cultured and wild fish; (6) interpreting recent diet of wild fish and food-web dynamics from biochemical tracers in eggs; and (7) understanding the influences of maternal investment in offspring survival in fishes.

CURRENT AND Recent Projects

Team Fuiman has a long tradition of research on development, behavior, physiology, and ecology of larval fishes, but also adult fishes, seals, birds, and octopods. The scope of research projects has grown much broader, now including maternal transfer of dietary nutrients to eggs, the role of maternal and dietary fatty acids in larval performance, ecology of fatty acids, and aquaculture. Most of the current projects make use of the outstanding facilities for spawning fish and rearing larvae at the Fisheries and Mariculture Laboratory. Active projects include detailed investigations aimed at:

understanding the mechanisms by which maternal diet influences larval lipid metabolism and performance, using metabolomics and transcriptomics;

Abstracts of recent projects:

Egg boon fatty acids reveal effects of a climatic event on a marine food web. – Lee A. Fuiman (Ecological Monographs, 2018) – Flow of essential fatty acids (EFAs) through food webs is critical for the health of individual animals, populations, and communities. Planktonic eggs may play a central role in marine systems because they are highly concentrated in EFAs, superabundant, and consumed by a variety of species. Previous research suggests that egg fatty acid composition should not be useful for trophodynamic studies because it should be tightly regulated to meet the nutritional needs of embryos. Eight years of sampling the egg boon of the teleost fish red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) provided the opportunity to test the hypothesis that extreme climatic events differentially alter abundances of prey populations and, ultimately, egg fatty acid composition.

Fatty acid composition of eggs varied significantly among years and three major patterns of interannual variation (principal components) paralleled trends in the Palmer Drought Severity Index. Each of the first three principal components was related to abundances of particular prey (blue crabs, filter-feeding fishes, and brown shrimp, respectively) during the spring and summer. Summer abundances of blue crab and brown shrimp were most strongly correlated with bay salinity 12-14 months earlier. Summer abundances of filter-feeding fishes were most strongly correlated with bay salinity 0-1 month earlier. The delayed responses of crustacean abundances to variations in bay salinity likely operate through variability in recruitment. The fast connection for filter-feeding fishes suggests a behavioral response to changing environmental conditions.

The analyses revealed changes in trophodynamic flow that were associated with the phases of the climatic event. EFA content of eggs increased during drought years then decreased in the recovery years, indicating the potential for downstream effects on reproductive output, offspring viability, and tissue composition of egg consumers. Generally, nutrients move from intermediate sized consumers to a larger, higher order consumer (adult red drum). Then, trophic flow reverses when the egg boon is exploited by smaller planktivores. The analysis also revealed climate-related shifts in the degree of benthic–pelagic coupling and pelagic recycling that were mediated by the egg boons. This study demonstrates that egg boons can be a useful subject for investigations of trophodynamics in marine ecosystems.

Optimal Culture Temperature for Larval and Juvenile Pigfish, Orthopristis chrysoptera. – Cynthia K. Faulk, Erik W. Oberg, Kathryn L. Thompson, and Lee A. Fuiman (Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 2018 doi: 10.1111/jwas.12501) – Pigfish, Orthopristis chrysoptera, is a candidate for aquaculture because it is a regionally popular marine baitfish and commercial production could increase its supply and reduce fishing pressure on wild populations. Identifying optimal conditions for pigfish growout is needed for efficient production. We investigated the effects of temperature on growth and survival from hatching to market size at five constant temperatures, ranging from 22 to 30C. Larval survival was greatest at 22 C, but growth was slowest. Complete mortality of larvae at 30C occurred by 6 d after hatch, suggesting an upper thermal limit between 28 and 30C. For juveniles, growth in length and weight was greatest at 28 and 30 C, but there were no differences in survival among temperatures. The predicted upper thermal limit for juveniles is 35 C. Results indicate that maximum growth and survival would be achieved by rearing larvae at 24C and juveniles at 28 C. Under this temperature schedule, pigfish would reach preferred market sizes of 7.6 cm (for bay fishing) and 15 cm (for offshore fishing) after 2.5 and 4 mo of culture, respectively.

Maternal diet and larval diet influence survival skills of larval red drumSciaenops ocellatus.– Kestrel O. Perez and Lee A. Fuiman (Journal of Fish Biology 86:1286-1304, 2015) - Larval red drum Sciaenops ocellatus survival, turning rate, routine swimming speed, escape response latency and escape response distance were significantly correlated with essential fatty-acid (EFA) concentrations in eggs. Of the five traits that varied with egg EFA content, two (escape response latency and routine swimming speed) were significantly different when larvae were fed enriched diets compared with the low fatty-acid diet, indicating that the larval diet can compensate for some imbalances in egg composition. Turning rate during routine swimming and escape response distance, however, did not change when larvae predicted to have low performance (based on egg composition) were fed an enriched diet, indicating that these effects of egg composition may be irreversible. Escape response distances and survival rates of larvae predicted to perform well (based on egg composition) and fed highly enriched diets were lower than expected, suggesting that high levels of EFA intake can be detrimental. Altogether, these results suggest that both maternal diet, which is responsible for egg EFA composition, and larval diet may play a role in larval survivorship and recruitment.

Linking fatty acids in the diet and tissues to quality of larval southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma).– Erik W. Oberg and Lee A. Fuiman (Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 467:7–15, 2015; doi: 10.1016/j.jembe.2015.02.021) - Essential fatty acids are necessary for growth, survival, and development of larval fishes, but there is limited information on the essential fatty acid requirements of larval southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma). The objectives of this study were to elucidate connections between dietary supply of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) and deposited fatty acids in the head and body, and then link diet and stored fatty acids in the head and body with larval quality traits. From 4–15 days posthatching (dph), southern flounder larvae were fed rotifers enriched with four different combinations of DHA-rich Algamac 3050 and ARA-rich Algamac ARA. Fatty acid concentrations in the head and body were measured at 15 dph, and relationships between fatty acids in head or body and in the diet were determined. Larval quality traits, including specific growth rate (SGR), survival, and eight behavioral performance variables were measured. Results showed that concentrations of DHA and ARA in the head andinthe bodywere correlatedwith concentrations of DHA and ARA in the diet. Growth rate did not vary among the four diets, but survival was positively correlated with the amount of lipid in the diet. Responsiveness to a visual stimulus was positively correlated with the concentration of DHA in the diet, the ratio DHA:EPA in the head, and total energy content of the diet. Turning rate during routine swimming was correlated with body DHA. This study demonstrates the influence of DHA content, total lipid content, and energy levels in the diet of southern flounder and provides a foundation for future studies examining causal factors of recruitment variability or larviculture production success.

Egg boons: Central components of marine fatty acid food webs. – Lee A. Fuiman, Tara L. Connelly, Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri, and James W. McClelland (Ecology, 96:362-372, 2015; doi:10.1890/14-0571.1) - Food web relationships are traditionally defined in terms of the flow of key elements, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and their role in limiting production. There is growing recognition that availability of important biomolecules, such as fatty acids, may exert controls on secondary production that are not easily explained by traditional element-oriented models. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are required by most organisms for proper physiological function but are manufactured almost entirely by primary producers. Therefore, the flow of EFAs, especially DHA, EPA, and ARA, through aquatic food webs is critical for ecosystem functioning. A meta-analysis of data on EFA content of marine organisms reveals that individual eggs of marine animals have exceptionally high concentrations of EFAs, and that superabundances of eggs released in temporally and spatially discrete patches create rich but temporary nutritional resources for egg predators, called “egg boons.” Mortality rates of fish eggs are disproportionately higher than animals of similar size, and those eggs are consumed by predators both larger and smaller than the adults that produce the eggs. Thus, egg boons are a major trophic pathway through which EFAs are repackaged and redistributed, and they are among the few pathways that run counter to the main direction of trophic flow. Egg boons can transport EFAs across ecosystems through advection of patches of eggs and spawning migrations of adults. Recognizing the significance of egg boons to aquatic food webs reveals linkages and feedbacks between organisms and environments that have important implications for understanding how food webs vary in time and space. Examples are given of top-down, bottom up, and lateral control mechanisms that could significantly alter food webs through their effects on eggs. Our results suggest that trophodynamic food web models should include EFAs generally, and egg production and egg EFA content in particular.

Dynamics of arachidonic acid transfer from diet to eggs in red drum. - Lee A. Fuiman and Cynthia K. Faulk (World Aquaculture June 2014:59-61) - A common bottleneck in the successful production of any species is a steady supply of high-quality eggs for grow-out. Producing high-quality eggs often requires the inclusion of wild-caught marine organisms in the broodstock diet. However, practicing responsible aquaculture means reducing the use of such feed ingredients and replacing them, at least partially, with more sustainable ingredients, such as agricultural crops.

Batch spawning facilitates transfer of an essential nutrient from diet to eggs in a marine fish. - Lee A. Fuiman and Cynthia K. Faulk (Biology Letters 9:20130593) - Fatty acid composition of eggs affects development, growth and ecological performance of fish embryos and larvae, with potential consequences for recruitment success. Essential fatty acids in eggs derive from the maternal diet, and the time between ingestion and deposition in eggs is ecologically important but unknown. We examined the dynamics of diet–egg transfer of arachidonic acid (ARA) in the batch-spawning fish, red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), by measuring ARA concentrations in eggs after a single diet shift and during a period of irregular variations in diet. ARA concentrations in eggs changed within 2–16 days of a diet shift. The rate of change was proportional to the magnitude of the shift, with no evidence of equilibration. These results are not consistent with eggs being assembled entirely from accumulated body stores. The immediate source of ARA in eggs appears to be the recent diet. We propose that batch spawning produces rapid diet–egg transfer of ARA because it removes large amounts of fatty acids from the body and prevents equilibration. The immediacy of the diet–egg connection suggests that spawning migration combined with short-interval batch spawning may have evolved to take advantage of nutrients critical for offspring survival that are available at the spawning site.

Fatty acid content of eggs determines antipredator performance of fish larvae. - Lee A. Fuiman and Alfredo F. Ojanguren (Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 407:155-165) - Recent work has suggested that provisioning of eggs with certain critical nutrients could be a more meaningful measure of maternal investment and correlate of offspring fitness than traditional measures of egg size. The aim of our study was to assess variability in egg quality and larva quality and to identify connections between them and the implications for larval survival. Egg size, proximate composition, and fatty acid composition were measured for 40 batches of eggs from 8 captive pairs of red drum (Osteichthyes: Sciaenops ocellatus). We reared larvae from these batches of eggs to a common size (10 mm total length, 2– 3 weeks posthatching) and assessed routine activity and escape response performance of 671 individuals. Egg fatty acid composition varied more than egg size or proximate composition. Concentrations of certain long chain, highly unsaturated essential fatty acids (e.g., arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) were the only egg traits that were significantly related to larva quality (measured as escape performance). Reduced escape performance of larvae from eggs with low fatty acid concentrations was not compensated by 3 weeks of feeding on a diet enriched with fatty acids, suggesting irreversible developmental effects. Since fatty acids in eggs originate from the maternal diet, offspring survival may be determined in part by availability of nutrient rich prey to pre-spawning adults. Migrations, regime shifts, and exploitation of marine communities could operate through this mechanism to influence recruitment in fish populations. Our findings underscore the importance of non-genetic maternal contributions to egg quality and the linkage between environmental conditions experienced by adult females and offspring fitness.

To request reprints, send a message to lee.fuiman@utexas.edu and include the publication numbers and your postal or email address.

Kaiser, J.B., C.K. Faulk, K.L. Thompson, and L.A. Fuiman. 2018. Baitfish aquaculture: Spawning and juvenile requirements of pigfish. World Aquaculture September 2018:48-51.(selected as best paper in World Aquaculture for 2018)

Ditty, J.G., Shaw, R.F., and Fuiman, L.A. 2005. Larval development of five species of blenny (Teleostei: Blenniidae) from the western central North Atlantic, with a synopsis of blennioid family characters. Journal of Fish Biology 66:1261–1284.

Fuiman, L.A. 1994. The interplay of ontogeny and scaling in the interactions of fish larvae and their predators. Journal of Fish Biology 45(supplement A):55-79.

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Fuiman, L.A., and A.E. Magurran. 1994. Development of predator defences in fishes. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 4:145-183.

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Fuiman, L.A., and R.S. Batty. 1994. Susceptibility of Atlantic herring and plaice larvae to predation by juvenile cod and herring at two constant temperatures. Journal of Fish Biology 44:23-34.

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Fuiman, L.A., editor. 1993. Water Quality and the Early Life Stages of Fishes. American Fisheries Society Symposium 14. 172pp. (reprints are not available; get the lowest price)

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Hunter, J.R., N.C.-H. Lo, and L.A. Fuiman, editors. 1993. Advances in the early life history of fishes. Part 2. Ichthyoplankton methods for estimating fish biomass. Bulletin of Marine Science 53:723-935. (sorry, reprints are not available from me)

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Moser, H.G., P.E. Smith, and L.A. Fuiman, editors. 1993. Advances in the early life history of fishes. Part 1. Larval fish assemblages and ocean boundaries. Bulletin of Marine Science 53:283-722. (sorry, reprints are not available from me)

Gamble, J.C., and L.A. Fuiman. 1987. Evaluation of in situ enclosures during a study of the importance of starvation to the vulnerability of herring larvae to a piscine predator. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 113:91-103.

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Foster, N.R., and L.A. Fuiman. 1987. Notes on the behavior and early life history of captive lyre gobies, Evorthodus lyricus. Bulletin of Marine Science 41:27-35.

Fuiman, L.A. 1982. Correspondence of myomeres and vertebrae and their natural variability during the first year of life in yellow perch. Pages 56-59, in: C.F. Bryan, J.V. Conner, and F.M. Truesdale, editors. Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Larval Fish Conference. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Fuiman, L.A. and J.J. Loos. 1977. Identifying characters of the early development of the daces, Rhinichthys atratulus and R. cataractae (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 129:23-32.

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Fuiman, L.A. 1976. Notes on the early development of the sea raven, Hemitripterus americanus. Fishery Bulletin 74:467-470.

Team Publications: Higgs, D.M., and L.A. Fuiman. 1998. Associations between behavioral ontogeny and habitat change in clupeoid larvae. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 78:1281-1294.

Team Publications: Foster, C.R., A.F. Amos, and L.A. Fuiman. 2009. Trends in abundance of coastal birds and human activity on a Texas barrier island over three decades. Estuaries and Coasts 32:1079-1089.

Dissertation: Intraspecific competition among early life stages and the optimal spawning strategy of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

Current Address: Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University; Email: shinn407@gmail.com

Team Publications: Nakayama, S., A.F. Ojanguren, L.A. Fuiman. 2009. To fight, or not to fight: Determinants and consequences of social behaviour in young red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Behaviour 146:815-830.